


Thrall

by RokiRiot



Series: Gaa_Lee Bingo, Card 1 [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Magic, Big Dumb Plays, First Dates, Love at First Sight, Lust at First Sight, M/M, Mild Language, Poor Self-Care Habits, Romance, Romantic Overtures, family bonding (sorta), gratuitous apologizing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:26:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27084079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RokiRiot/pseuds/RokiRiot
Summary: As soon as Gaara sets his eyes on shining black hair, sparks fly before him. A cold sweat breaks out on the back of his neck."Oh fuck," he whispers, sitting up straighter. The longer he looks, the more attractive the figure becomes.Gaara is hit with a bewitching hex and doesn't handle it well. At the very least, he has his siblings to help him through.
Relationships: Gaara/Rock Lee, Nara Shikamaru/Temari
Series: Gaa_Lee Bingo, Card 1 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1955089
Comments: 8
Kudos: 86
Collections: GaaLee Bingo





	Thrall

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: magic AU
> 
> Sheesh, there are so many entries now! I hope you guys enjoy this!

It’s an absolutely beautiful Friday, as every single Friday has been since the start of the semester. Gaara is almost one hundred percent sure the head sorcerers are tampering with the weather, which is _super_ illegal under the Order of the Paladins. Gaara would know. Not that he’s complaining. 

It's late spring. Unfortunately, any flora that could be presenting flowers at this time have already died off, making way for their sweet summer fruit to take shape and ripen. Everything is luscious and heavy with chlorophyll, wafting faint scents of rain from three days ago. Gaara throws his cardigan on the ground under one of the willows in the common yard. Not many people are around, even for the start of the weekend. It’s early enough morning that many classes are still in session, but late enough for the full heat of the sun to take its effect.

Gaara just wants to relax. He could have done that in his room, he thinks as he lays his head on the cardigan. But he is taking the suggestion of his siblings to go out more often. They probably meant with others, but Gaara thinks he can get a point for going out on his own. 

Gaara is making time for himself. And not just sulking, wallowing time as Kankuro called it. He’s finished his assignments for the next few days (with proofreading exceptions), he’s out of class for the weekend. There would be no alchemy, no potions nor astral conjuring, just down time until Monday (or Sunday night, when he will have to proofread his paper for the third time, just to be safe.) 

The branches of the willow hang down so low they almost touch him. Gaara gets lost in the sway, not categorizing, not thinking of the uses of the leaves, bark, branches, or roots. If everything stayed calm, he might even be able to slip into a light nap. 

"Hey, Bushy Brows!!" 

Well... At least it was nice for thirty minutes. 

Gaara cranes his neck to peer at where Naruto's bright blonde aura is careening across the courtyard. He shouts at the top of his lungs at this Bushy Brows, probably his new familiar that he let off the leash. Gaara remembers Kurama being the last familiar Naruto had, but then again, they hadn't spoken in years.

Gaara's gaze follows Naruto, his emotions in turmoil, until he halts in front of a figure clad in emerald green robes. Gaara's eyes flow from the bottom of the billowing things up until they cut themselves on an impressive set of deltoids. As soon as Gaara sets his eyes on shining black hair, sparks fly before him. A cold sweat breaks out on the back of his neck. 

"Oh fuck," he whispers, sitting up straighter. The longer he looks, the more attractive the figure becomes.

He's taller than Naruto by nearly two heads, his shoulders just as wide. He stands confidently. He only slightly bends his knees so he can look Naruto in the eyes. Gaara can see where the robes dip over his trapezius muscles, settling into the S-curve of his lower back and falling over his _fantastic_ ass. 

Gaara is fucked. 

Naruto is talking to the giant animatedly. Actually, _too_ animatedly. His mouth moves fast and his hands move through a string of movements. Gaara can't recognize them, but alarms in his brain tell him that they're sigils. When Naruto learned to use them, he's not sure. 

What he _is_ sure of is that he's been bewitched. 

Gaara growls, snatching up his cardigan as he stands. In a whirl of pale gold wind magic, he deposits himself near Naruto's elbow, all fury.

He growls. Naruto yelps, jumping out of his way, "Ech! Aye, uh! Gaara! What the fuck, man!? I told you that shit's creepy!"

"What did you do to me?" He snarls. He does his best not to look at the stranger again. Enchantments like these only get stronger the longer the affected looks or is in the other person's presence. 

"Yeah, hey to you too, No Brows! It's been a while, you look good too, maybe we can catch up this weekend," Naruto rants sarcastically. Gaara grinds his teeth.

"I don't want to _catch_ up with you, I want you to undo the Bewitching Hex you put on me," Gaara spits. He grabs Naruto by the front of his shirt, a fist full of wrinkly, poorly dyed orange fabric. Is this his uniform shirt?

"I didn't hex you," Naruto says, but he's _lying,_ he has to be, because Gaara has never felt the punch of attraction in his gut so strong that he almost goes limp when the tall stranger puts a hand on his arm. 

He looks at those hands, gigantic and painted across with gnarly pink and brown scars. He follows the hand up to the arm, the shoulder, the neck, all the way up to the Emerald Giant's face, thinking _'he could crush me, crush me, crush me'_ the entire time. 

There's a look of righteous indignation and maybe a bit of concern on his face. Gaara is instantly struck by the eyes before him. Deep, dark brown like rich coffee, sempiternal like honey, and burning a hole right through him. The big, round eyes of a doe that could leave him in trouble in a moment's notice. His fingers go lax on Naruto's shirt, and if he's still talking, Gaara can't hear it. 

The Emerald Giant doesn't say anything to him, just keeps staring at Gaara the way Gaara stares at everything. 

"Um," Gaara says. 

"Lee, Naruto!"

A woman with ever shifting hair sprints across the courtyard, faster than even Naruto. She looks pissed, but when the Emerald Giant (he must be _Lee,_ since Gaara certainly isn't, and she knew Naruto by name.) 

"Naruto!! Weren't you supposed to meet me so we could go to History of Voodoo together? Do you need my help or not?" she asks, not even a bit winded, Gaara thinks jealously. He tunes her out to look back down at the hand still on his arm. The fingernails are short and perfectly buffed, the fingers thick but not clubby as Gaara knows some Giant-folk to have. In fact, he looks like he could play piano. Perhaps he's an earth sprite, or a genasi. 

Gaara's gaze maps out every scar, marking the old and new. Where he might have lost a finger, or got his arms caught in the taloned grip of...

Were there even any magical beasts large enough to make the rippling cicatrix across his forearm in this part of the hemisphere? Gaara imagined the Emerald Giant wrestling a Griffon topless and suddenly felt one hundred percent more uncomfortable. He pulled himself out of the- _Lee's_ grip. The woman is talking to Lee, now. Her hair had finally settled on a pale peach color. 

"... -en hear me?"

Lee ducked his head, his brown face going a more plum color in his embarrassment. Gaara’s assumption that the man isn't mortal grows; he's never met a human that cute. 

The woman talked and gestured with her hands at the same time, "Wasn't Neji supposed to help you? Where is he?"

Lee's nose scrunches up hesitantly, making his mouth do a little twist that Gaara absolutely has to have. His lips are a dark pink-red like the fruit of the frumkin tree back in his hometown. Gaara watches as he gestures with his hands. His mouth moves, but no sound comes out. 

"Busy huh," the woman says, because she somehow caught everything Lee said instead of staring at his gesturing hands and pink tongue. "Well I'll find that asshole later on and deal with _him."_

She snaps her fingers, and a sparkle of sax aura flies between them, "Better?"

Lee nods enthusiastically, putting a thumbs up, then finally mouthing something that makes sense, "Thank you."

"Do you need someone to walk you to class?" She asks, waving her fingers overhead. The aura darkens from sax to cyan as it shifts to show the time overhead. There's only five minutes left in the hour. 

"I can walk him," Gaara offers, then snaps his mouth shut. Both the woman and Lee look at him in surprise. He's spent too much time in Lee's presence already. "You look like you're in a hurry and I have the rest of the afternoon off."

"Have we met before?" She asks, her eyes deepening to venom color. 

"No," he says, bluntly.

"Oi, oi, we're not done here yet," Naruto yips. The woman's pink hair darkens, just a bit. She looks between Gaara and Lee, then snatches Naruto by the neck. 

"Oh yes we _are."_ She begins dragging him away without any effort, "Lee, send me a gram later if you get into trouble."

"I will!!" It's the first time Gaara hears him speak. His voice is mottled and sort of distorted, like he's speaking around a bottle in his throat. He's also far too loud near Gaara's ear (and he's not even that close.) He decides to wonder on the peculiarity later. Lee turns to him, his eyes stern, almost brittle. Gaara stomach drops in a way it hasn't in a long time. 

"I do not like that you were threatening my friend," he says firmly. Gaara scowls, hot fist of rage curling around his intestines. 

"I didn't threaten him," Gaara said firmly, crossing his arms in a not at all petulant way, "But he would have deserved it if I had. That asshole hexed me."

"Do not speak about Naruto that way! You do not seem like the kindest person, so perhaps you did something to him-"

"I was _minding_ my own _business._ I don't want anything to do with Naruto just like he doesn't want anything to do with me," Gaara says, digging his fingers into his own hair and tugging frustratedly. He and Naruto hadn't spoken in years. He hated that their first encounter with one another was because he was bewitched. 

"Oh," Lee says, seeming to deflate, concern softening the obsidian of his eyes into an artist's charcoal, "I am sorry! I will be sure to have Naruto apologize to you later! Do you need me to take you to the infirmary?"

It's strange that it doesn't take Lee much to believe Gaara. The red head has no reason to lie, but if he were Lee, he would have immediately cast a fact checker spell. 

Gaara looks at him. Really looks at him. Lee has a kind face. It reminds him of the few elders Gaara let influence his life. Lee gestures like he's reaching out, but he keeps his distance from Gaara after that initial touch. He's sure that even if he weren't under the thrall, Gaara would still find Lee attractive. 

"No," he says stiffly, "Just- aren't- aren't you supposed to get to class?"

"I have just finished for the day! I was actually on my way to grab lunch! Really, if you need, it is not a burden," Lee insists. Gaara shakes his head. He hates the infirmary.

"No. I'll just... go with you. It's the least I can do for involving you in this thing," Gaara gestures futilely in the direction Naruto went. The other man doesn’t look too sure about Gaara declining the offer. He doesn’t press.

“It can be my treat,” Lee offers, throwing a thumbs up that Gaara has to side step, “It is the least I can do to make up for it!”

“You don’t have to do anything,” Gaara mumbles, “It's not your fault. Let’s just go.”

Lee doesn’t seem like he agrees with that idea. Gaara is proven right when Lee shouts, “I insist!” He takes up a gait that Gaara struggles to keep up with. After just a few moments, Gaara wraps his legs in his aura and makes himself float along. It’s much easier, and everything feels better now that he’s using his power.

"Your magick is so pretty!" Lee crows, teeth blindingly bright in the sun. Gaara has to turn his head so the man can't see him possibly have a brain aneurysm. Where he comes from, that is both a compliment and a sexual advance. Lee doesn’t seem like the type to know that, but Gaara doesn’t think he should miss an opportunity that’s presented to him.

“Are you sure you should be saying that to someone you just met? You don’t even know my name yet.”

Lee tilts his head, just the slightest bit. It’s something that reminds Gaara of a newborn kludde. “I apologize! My name is Rock Lee! I’m a creature sciences major!” 

Gaara did so expect the innuendo to fly over his head, but he doesn’t mind too much. He’s not sure what will happen to him if Lee flirts back, and he doesn’t trust himself under the thrall. “S-... Gaara. Double major sorcery and summonings.”

Lee’s eyes go even bigger (how is that possible?) and his mouth makes a little ‘oh’ of surprise. “Wow, you must be so smart! I took a gap year to even be able to get into this college.”

Gaara flushes at the compliment when it usually would have made him uncomfortable. He made a note not to let Lee know he was also double minoring. “Well, you’re... here, so you’re also very talented in your own way.”

Lee smiles at him, his face going a faint mauve color that Gaara is slowly coming to like far too much. "Thank you very much. My teacher says anything can be accomplished with hard work!"

Gaara grunts, eyeing his scarred forearms, "Like wrestling a griffon?" 

Lee's chipper demeanor takes a dent. His smile goes rueful. "I have done many things I am not proud of. I am very grateful to my teacher for showing me the right way to achieve my goals!" Little tears begin to fill his eyes. 

Gaara panics, "Its- we're all growing-... Making mistakes is a product of youth. It's proof that you've changed if you can properly reflect on them..."

Lee's bright smile returns, though there are still fat tears in his eyes, "My teacher said something similar! You are very wise for your age!"

Gaara feels like the conversation is getting uncomfortable. Luckily, they're getting close to the food court, so he won't have time to embarrass himself further by asking inappropriate questions. "What made you want to study creature sciences?"

"I really love animals. I feel very close to them, naturewise. You see, I am unable to physically cast magic," Lee says this cheerfully, not as though he is going to one of the most prestigious academies in the east. 

Gaara looks him over, then says, "But your aura-"

"You can see it!?" Lee asks excitedly. 

"It's hard not to," Gaara replies, and it's true. Now that Gaara is not oggling Lee's assets, his aura is like a solid green outline of his body. Tendrils of jewel tone magick swirl out from him whenever he moves. Even his shadow shines like peridot. 

"Many people often tell me to control myself, but I cannot. I have tried to learn, but no matter how many doctors I see, I am always told I will never be able to cast or use it," Lee shrugs as though he's just admitted where he comes from, and not something that could put his life in danger. 

"Oh," Gaara says, because there isn't much way he can comment without sounding insensitive about it. 

"Do not worry, I have accepted it. And my teacher says that I should think of it as the power of my will! I will be able to achieve anything so long as I stay determined!"

Gaara nods, unsure if that's how he would phrase it. Lee is a much stranger being than Gaara initially thought. He's brimming with hope and optimism, but over what, Gaara doesn't know.

"Did that woman cast a spell to help you control it?" Gaara asks, suddenly remembering her pale blue aura flashing and melting into emerald. He's slightly jealous, knowing it's not the kind of magical mingling he's thinking of, but being unable to help himself. 

"Oh, no," Lee says, then ducks his head, "Well- you see- I... I am deaf. Usually one of my friends casts a spell for me so I can get through my classes."

Suddenly, everything makes sense. The hand gestures, the moving mouths, the intense staring. Gaara feels like a complete idiot. 

"You normally speak with your hands," Gaara asks, though it doesn't sound like a question at all. He glances down at where they're hidden by Lee's robes. 

"Yes! It is called sign language! My teacher and my best friends helped me learn it," Lee says, smiling happily. Gaara is already calculating how long it will take him to learn sign language, and where he can get information on it. 

"I see," Gaara says simply. 

"Is there anything you'd like to eat?" Lee asks politely. Gaara isn't hungry, not someone who's prone to keeping his body healthy on the best of days. 

"No. You decide," he says. Lee chooses a burger shop that specializes in strange combinations of toppings. Lee orders two spicy chicken sandwiches, piled high with veggie and an egg, sweet potato fries, and a milkshake. It almost makes Gaara worried about his savings, but his father is going to pay every last ounce. Gaara notices they make burgers from goat meat and orders one from the menu. 

He glares at the man behind the counter when Lee tries to give his coin. He discretely stings him with his aura so he can lay his money in the man's hand. Lee looks positively affronted. His nose wrinkles adorably. Gaara thinks, at least when the thrall wears off, this will be a good story to tell his siblings. 

"I said that I would pay!"

"Pay next time," Gaara says. Nonchalantly, not meaning for there to _be _a next time, but wanting to end the argument quickly. Lee's eyes are wide, his face shining under a blush.__

__"Next time? Definitely," He stutters enthusiastically, following after Gaara as he finds a place to sit._ _

__Lunch is nice. Lee runs his mouth a mile a minute, talking about his teacher and friends, his workout routine (this man is _insane;_ Gaara suspects his magick is fueling him) without ever talking with his mouth full. He asks Gaara questions that rest on just the border of polite and intrusive. (Does he have siblings, what's his favorite part of sorcery, what dorm is he staying in?) He lets Gaara decide if he wants to answer the questions with more or less information. _ _

__Before Gaara knows it, they have spent four hours chatting, walking around, or staring at each other. Lee teaches him a few phrases in sign language, including the special sign that is his name- Hello! How are you! What is your name? It involves a lot more touching than Gaara thinks is strictly necessary. Lee's hands are hot where Gaara always feels cold._ _

__Despite his best intentions, Lee walks him back to his dorm room._ _

__"I had a very nice time with you, Gaara. Would you... Um, if your schedule is not too full, would you like to meet me again on Sunday?" He gestures the words with his hands as he speaks. Gaara's eidetic memory keeps it as a treasure, and he's reminded he needs to make a trip to the stacks._ _

__"I'll send a gram," Gaara replies, knowing he doesn't want to see Lee again if it will put him even deeper under the hex. Lee smiles, his pearly teeth all hope. He leans in and squeezes Gaara around the middle, his finer impulses not curbed in this instance. Gaara has to hold his breath after getting even a short scent of Lee's sweat and antiperspirant. Lee releases him quickly as he caught him, and Gaara thanks fuck._ _

__He's half chub._ _

__"Bye, Gaara," Lee says, smiling in a coy manner that doesn't suit his face but does wonders for Gaara's heartbeat. Gaara holds up his hand in a wave too late. Lee has already jogged away._ _

____

_**t h r a l l** _

Gaara doesn't send a gram. He thinks about it. Writes a couple of short sentences on different pieces of paper and parchment.

He spends all Friday night with texts checked out from the stacks, going over diagrams of the hand signs (there are about one hundred sixty eight different sign languages they know about. One book alludes to more than.) He practices having conversations with himself in a conjured mirror over his bed for an entire day. 

When Sunday rolls around, Gaara realizes he's been thinking about Lee for nearly forty eight hours. He hurriedly returns the texts and does his best to correct his nearly due homework. He doesn't leave his room again, even when his siblings come by to offer to take him out to eat. He spends the day feeling sick over the idea that Lee might be disappointed, or, even worse, that he completely forgot about Gaara the moment they were no longer in each other's presence. 

An entire week passes in much the same manner. There is a short while where Gaara thinks he's going to be okay, that he has gotten over those sick feelings. Then he has a dream that he can't remember, but smells distinctly of someone else's sweat, and has him waking up stiffer than a corpse. 

Kankuro takes one look at him on the following Saturday morning and says, "Alright, pack it up. We're going to see Temari."

Gaara knows better than to argue. He's the better fighter, but Kankuro has gotten used to drugging him or tricking him into doing what he wants. Gaara may be smarter, but Kankuro is more clever.

"Tem," Kankuro shouts, slamming on Temari's dorm door. It's probably an ill advised decision, seeing as it's still nine in the morning. They're in the honor's coed block, so most people will be up already, but they still won't appreciate the interruption. "Temari, open the door!"

"What," Temari's livid face appears in the doorway. She looks more tired and more rumpled than usual. A faintly sweet smell wafts out of the doorway- something Gaara recognizes.

"Have you-... Are you _high!?_ " Kankuro asks loud enough for the entire dorm to hear. Temari hisses at him. 

"I can't stay here," Gaara says, seeing a flash of brown hair somewhere near Temari's separated bedroom. He feels a bit disconnected, something that happens when he hasn't gotten enough sleep and his magick reserves take over. 

"I'm- I wasn't smoking! It was S- I _told_ him not to smoke in my dorm," Temari flounders, unusually ineloquent for herself. 

"I can't stay here," Gaara repeats more firmly, taking small steps away from her dorm. 

"Shit... We're going to talk about this later," he hears Kankuro say firmly to Temari. Kankuro puts a hand on his shoulder and turns him in the right direction. The contact is fleeting; a grounding action that lets Kankuro send his cool purple aura stroking about his scalp. His elder brother takes a brisk lead. 

When they're safely back in their shared dorm, Kankuro says, "Spill it, or I will cast a blabbermouth hex on you."

"Swear to me that you won't overreact," Gaara says. Kankuro narrows his eyes.

"That just _ensures _I'll overreact."__

__"Kankuro... _Please."__ _

__Kankuro blinks. His foot starts tapping nervously. Gaara can see where his painted fingernails dig into the skin of his arm, turning it pale with its force. He grumbles, then clears his throat, "Listen, squirt. I'll hold out action until I know all the details, but I don't promise not to overreact. That's Tem's thing."_ _

__"That's... fair," Gaara sighs. "Naruto cast a do Bewitching Hex on me."_ _

__Kankuro's pupils dilate. His aura turns a sickly plum color that tells Gaara he should be getting to his room right away. He doesn't, though his own anxiety shoots through the roof. "That son of a bitch-"_ _

__"No, that's not the problem. I mean, it _is/ _a problem that I will deal with in a timely manner, but that's not why I-"___ _

____"Naruto's not directly the reason you're moping in our dorm more than usual," Kankuro says, "Is it him? The one you're in a thrall to?"_ _ _ _

____"No," Gaara worries his lip, then, because he's sure his siblings will never meet the man, "His name is Rock Lee. The hex is supposed to have worn off by now, but I still can't stop thinking about him."_ _ _ _

____"Wait, wait... It takes three full days for the thrall to disappear on its own. You telling me you've been hexed for three days and you didn't tell me _or_ Tem?" Kankuro asks, his eyes daring Gaara to say yes. The young man doesn't respond, staring at Kankuro as evenly as he can manage. He doesn't say it's been a week. _ _ _ _

____"Now I know why Temari is always tired," Kankuro sighs, "Did you get checked up in the infirmary?"_ _ _ _

____Gaara cuts eyes at him._ _ _ _

____"Right. Well, nothing for it," he mutters. Karasu, his arcane focus, starts chittering from his perch on his shoulder, little wooden head clacking as it turns in a circle. Kankuro turns his index finger in a spiral in front of Gaara's chest. "You're not hexed. It's worn off by now... Or, actually, you're too strong to be hexed by someone like _Naruto."__ _ _ _

____"Not if he cast with sigils," Gaara reminds him._ _ _ _

____"Naruto wouldn't know sigils ass from tail. _AND!_ You would have been manic by now."_ _ _ _

____"I can't stop thinking about him," Gaara clarifies again, "I learned sign language just to communicate with him. In one day."_ _ _ _

____"But that's not the same as trying to throw yourself out of the dorm window so you can see him, lil bro," Kankuro gives him the _look;_ the one reserved for when he is missing something, "And like I just said, you're not hexed."_ _ _ _

____Gaara frowns, "But I am still thinking about him..."_ _ _ _

____Kankuro gives him a wicked grin, then gasps dramatically, "Because you _liiiike_ him. Is this love at first sight!? Oh, my squirt is all grown up!"_ _ _ _

____Too stunned to roll his eyes, Gaara finally remembers what comes with bewitchment: intense sexual attraction, inane declarations of passion, obsessive behavior (stalking and kidnapping are a few), and aggression. He's attracted to Lee, but that's about where the similarities stop._ _ _ _

____Had he never been bewitched at all?_ _ _ _

____Gaara feels his body go slack. He slumps into the table. The sick feeling returns even worse than before._ _ _ _

____"Geez, overreaction much. And I thought I was the dramatic one," Kankuro laughs nervously, "Seriously kid, it's not that bad is it?"_ _ _ _

____They both know what he's using as reference for goodness or badness. Gaara shakes his head, and says, "I've never... We were supposed to meet up on Sunday."_ _ _ _

____"Alright, send a gram. It's still early," Kankuro says, as if it's that simple._ _ _ _

____" _Last_ Sunday."_ _ _ _

____"Gaara... Did you fuckin ghost him?" Kankuro screeches, "Ah fuck! Cut yourself some slack man!"_ _ _ _

____"At least we know I'm not bewitched," Gaara replies bitterly. He stands, not feeling hungry, but needing something in his stomach. He goes to make himself a pot of coffee._ _ _ _

____"Oh, no, no, no. You're not giving up. My baby bro is not a quitter. You just gotta apologize. Make a grand gesture or something like that," Kankuro flounders, stepping into the kitchen to take down two mugs, the sugar, and cream for himself._ _ _ _

____"And what will I do if he doesn't accept my apology?"_ _ _ _

____"Then you move on," Kankuro says firmly, a conversation they have had before in different degrees. Gaara doesn't say that it hurts, probably because Kankuro already knows._ _ _ _

____"What will I do if he _does_ accept my apology?" He asks instead, feeling slightly more panicked at the thought. He wrinkles his nose; the kettle lights itself, and two spoons float out of the drawer next to Kankuro. The dishes wash themselves. Kankuro gives him a side eye._ _ _ _

____"Alright," Kankuro sighs, grumbling to himself again, "Listen, squirt. You're a smart kid. You might be a bit weird but you've never been a cheat or a lie. Just be honest with him. And make an effort. Give him some flowers or something. You’re a catch. Things will work out."_ _ _ _

____Gaara's not too sure, but the rising anxiety and sickness have mostly faded away._ _ _ _

____"Thanks," he mumbles. He taps his leg and the boiling kettle pours its contents into their cups._ _ _ _

____"Yeah... Hey, you know I-," Kankuro coughs. Gaara takes his cup and skitters away before things can get awkward._ _ _ _

____"Yes... You too," he says softly before his door closes all the way._ _ _ _

____Gaara spends the rest of the day writing different versions of the same letter over and over, both trying to capture how sorry he is and how badly he wants to see Lee. He settles on one that he felt doesn't sound too desperate or strange and sends it just as it becomes too late._ _ _ _

____When he doesn't receive a reply by the next afternoon, he sends another. It is one of the drafts he had been okay with, but hadn't been quite perfect enough._ _ _ _

____Still, there was no response. He is moping by the end of the day, but he sends another gram, this time with an enchantment that let him project his sign language practice. Kankuro helps him, though he complains the whole time._ _ _ _

____After three days of sending message after message, Gases accepts that Lee just wasn't that into him. He's running on fumes. If Kankuro notices him slipping back into his depressive state, he only shows it through the tightening of his painted eyebrows._ _ _ _

____Temari shows up on Thursday night, just after Kankuro had forced him to get dressed and ready for dinner. His elder brother slips into his separate room, murmuring something about a change of clothes. Gaara stands by awkwardly, waiting for a dressing down about his behavior._ _ _ _

____"I'm sorry," she surprises him, "I try not to smoke around you or Kankuro. I won't make the same mistake again."_ _ _ _

____Gaara has a bunch of things he wants to say. Smoking won’t do for her what she thinks it will, Shikamaru is smart but that doesn’t mean he’s good for her, and a million other things that she probably won’t take well. Instead, he says, “Okay.”_ _ _ _

____She sighs with a great woosh, and says, “Kankuro told me you got into trouble.”_ _ _ _

____“Apparently not,” Gaara grumbles._ _ _ _

____“So you’re not currently pining over a guy who won’t return your messages?”_ _ _ _

____Gaara twists up his mouth, his cheeks going the barest of pink. Temari smirks at him, “Don’t pout. I’m here to offer you some of my advice.”_ _ _ _

____“You’re here to make fun of me,” Gaara murmurs._ _ _ _

____“Nope, that’s my job,” Kankuro says, returning with a whole change of clothes and Karasu clenched around his upper bicep like a harness._ _ _ _

____“But that doesn’t mean I won’t get my fair share in.”_ _ _ _

______ _ _

_**t h r a l l** _

Gaara is nervous as all hell. He waits outside of the creature sciences hall, just around the time Lee said he got out of classes. None of his messages has worked, so Temari had suggested he go meet him in person. She suggested that he choose neutral ground; somewhere that wasn’t either of their dorms, so they wouldn’t feel pressured.

Gaara wipes his sweaty hands off on his robes, opting for them instead of the cardigan he still hasn’t washed since Lee hugged him. He’s imagining all the ways this can go wrong, he’s imagining the rejection, the heartache, the worry. 

Before he knows it, he spots emerald green robes by the doorway. Lee is holding it open for a gaggle of other students making their exit, his kindness ever pervasive. Time, however small, does not do anything to help Gaara forget how attractive Lee is. The robes, not quite well tailored (or _too_ well tailored), buckle from the size of his arms as he pulls the doors open. He towers over literally everyone else.

When their eyes meet, Gaara feels his stomach drop and then rise back up to mix with his heart. His whole body feels like it's vibrating with the force of his heartbeat. He forces his limbs to move, to make his way forward so that he can close the distance between them. 

He stops before he can encounter any of the gaggle of people milling about. Lee crosses the rest of the distance. His face is stony, but his eyes say something soft. Something Gaara hopes will mean Lee will forgive him. He just has to put in the work, he recites to himself.

“Hello, Lee,” he signs. Lee’s eyes watch his hands, “How are you?”

Lee stares at his hands with wide eyes. “What are you doing here?” He asks aloud. 

“I wanted to talk to you,” Gaara continues to sign, “I wanted to apologize.”

Lee grabs his fingers, an impulsive gesture. Gaara does his best not to flinch. “Did you learn sign language for me?”

“Yes,” Gaara says out loud, watching as Lee’s thick hands release him. He swallows and signs again, “I sent you some messages.”

Lee frowns hard, conflict on his features as clear and easy to read as the diagrams in the texts Gaara studies. He stares at Gaara’s hands where they twist his own fingers. “I will not be easily fooled like last time. Sending a message or- or learning sign language will not make me easily forgive you.”

“I don’t expect it to,” Gaara signs. “But I had hoped that you would give me a chance to apologize. And to make it up to you.”

Lee's stony face relaxes a bit, and his eyes sparkle with excitement. Gaara can see the muscles of his arms jumping to get into the motion of a hug. 

"Okay," he says. Gaara bites his lip to distract himself from the way it makes his heart soar. 

"I'll wait for you to send me a message. If you change your mind... You don't have to send anything." 

Lee shakes his head, though it does nothing to dim the twinkle in his eyes. "I do not think that is fair. You are putting the responsibility on me."

Gaara hadn't thought of it that way, only wanting to give Lee the option to jump ship if he needed it. He nods. "I see... Then, we can meet tomorrow night at six o'clock, in the courtyard under the willow tree where we first met."

"Okay," Lee agrees, the barest hint of a smile breaking out. 

"I can't wait to see you," Gaara blurts aloud. His face feels like it's on fire. He turns away, "Um... Bye."

Gaara forgets all about his teleportation spell and runs.

_**t h r a l l** _

Lee looks even better out of his robes than in them. He wears formal trousers and a short sleeved top that bows cross his chest in a gallant attempt at coverage. The loop button holes strain to keep from popping their respective buttons. It's a soft cream color, something Gaara really likes on him.

Gaara takes them to his favorite noodle bar. He remembers Lee saying something about curry, and he knows this place specializes in spicy foods. Something Gaara shouldn’t be so pleased they have in common. They meet, make their way to the restaurant, and order, all mostly in silence. Gaara is too nervous to say the things he has been thinking about saying.

Under a poorly enchanted pair of cloaks, Lee's friends cum roommates follow them around. Gaara does his absolute best to ignore them. Lee doesn't even seem to notice they're there- rightly so. Gaara often forgets he's one of the few people in the world that can see other people's aura. 

Lee is equal parts impatience and excitement, his motions telling Gaara all he needs to know. It’s poor timing, but Gaara swallows his nerves and decides to start talking when the food arrives. He can no longer take the anxiety, the obvious slide of disappointment slowly settling across Lee’s face.

“I thought I was bewitched when I first saw you,” he signs, and speaks. Lee’s eyes stick to his hands, then blink up into his eyes. He tilts his head just so in confusion, “I’ve never... I didn’t trust my emotions. It was too strong, too fast.”

The words seem to turn on the heat beneath Lee. A tide of dark pink color rises from beneath his collar to rest over his cheeks and forehead. He signs back at him, and Gaara watches his hands avidly, enraptured by the way Lee’s whole body moves with the motions, “So why did you not tell me?”

“I don’t know. I... Even if it wasn’t the thrall, would you... like me? Could you like someone like me?” Gaara drags his nails across his scalp, needing the burn to ground himself, “You’re nice. Kind. Tall, muscular, handsome, optimistic. I’m not.”

“Gaara,” Lee grabs his hands when he makes his move to scratch through his hair again. That blush is increasing, and he’s smiling just a bit more than he had at their meeting yesterday. “I like you. I would not have asked to meet you again if I did not.”

“This is not an excuse,” Gaara explains, “It was wrong of me not to tell you. Both about the hex, or how I... feel... about you...”

“You needed time,” Lee says, and Gaara can hear the forgiveness in his voice. Gaara nods and sighs. He tries not to let the relief hit him too hard. 

“But it was still wrong of me not to talk to you about it,” Gaara says firmly.

“Will you still try to make it up to me?” Lee asks, lowering his eyes in that strange, awkward way that is still far too effective on Gaara. He nods. Lee’s grin is a bit cheeky, “Okay. I hope you know it will not be easy.”

Gaara suspects this is a lie, but it's fine by him. Everything he has now has been attained through struggle. And so he says, “I will keep that in mind."

They finish dinner in an altogether more positive mood. Gaara suggests they go for a walk. The air is pleasantly balmy, a cooling breeze occasionally making itself present. The path is verdant with life, teeming with plants still at the apex of their growth. It serves to calm Gaara fractionally. There's nothing like this at home, save his personal greenhouse. 

They're close enough to the school that Lee can go back if he decides to. Something in Gaara tells him Lee is not _really_ giving him a chance, that this is just pity. 

“I am surprised you have such free time when you are double majoring,” Lee says. Gaara dips his head.

“I dedicate most of my time on the weekdays to coursework and extra curricular activities so I have the weekends free,” he replies astutely, not mentioning how often he stays up late working on papers. 

“Then what do you do for fun?” Lee asks, all earnest interest. Suddenly Gaara feels incredibly small, aware that he doesn’t have very many friends (the people in club don’t count, and nor do Temari or Kankuro.) 

“Um... I like plants,” he admits. 

"Do you like to garden, or just looking?" Lee asks. Gaara wonders if he ever runs out of things to talk about. He feels criminally inept. 

"I run the conservatory on campus. I like cultivating plants for potions and recreational purposes," Gaara explains, "It's... a nice feeling to have them thrive under my care."

"Wow! That's really amazing," Lee says, and Gaara turns away as his ears flush. 

"What kind of creatures are you studying?" He asks, hoping to get Lee monologuing away so they can reach their destination. He's also interested in any story Lee has to tell about his extensive body work of scars. 

"Oh, I am most interested in equestrian breeds of creatures, but I am taking a course on animals in the savanna and I am so excited! Did you know that a griffon can be born from the carcass of a white liger?"

Gaara did not know that, but he's not sure to forget it any time soon. He shakes his head. Lee continues on about griffon husbandry, and about the nundu, and a million other animals found in the savannah. Gaara listens avidly. 

"Oh," Lee says, his body deflating after some time, "Did I talk too much? I sometimes become too passionate-"

"No," Gaara says firmly, "I asked you. I like listening to you talk."

Lee flushes, his hand reaching out to brush against Gaara's. Lighting, white hot, curls up his arm and across his chest to squeeze his heart. 

"Okay," Lee smiles. 

Lee's friends are still trailing some way behind them. Gaara had almost forgotten about them. He realizes that he doesn't have much time, unsure if they're planning something or if Lee will want to go back before it's too late.

"I have something to give you," Gaara says, turning down a path slightly blocked up by foliage. It's a part of the campus that was supposed to be used for a new potions site. 

Gaara's not sure if it still will be, but until then he's made it his own. Carefully caressing his fingers over a few brambles here or there, he sends a wave of his magick outward. The thicket unfurls, passing them by with a few loving strokes here or there. Gaara looks back at Lee. 

Lee stands hesitantly in the road, shifting from foot to foot. He doesn't exactly look scared, just unsure. Gaara extends his hand, careful to move slowly as if addressing a wild beast. Lee glances around the shrubbery, barely avoiding a flinch when one gives him another loving brush. Gaara reaches out a bit further and takes his fingers. 

"I won't let anything happen," he says softly. When Lee's shoulders relax a bit, Gaara begins pulling him in. The brambles interlace themselves as they clear them. It's a short walk; less than two minutes. Still, Gaara can feel Lee tense with every passing moment. 

Finally they clear the thicket and step out into a plain field of grass. The moon bees reflect the glowing light above them, twinkling like sedate little stars. Their glow washes the grass in faint light, popping and dipping in various hues of white. 

"Oh," Lee gasps. Gaara lets him peer around, his eye half on Lee's awed gaping, half on making sure their followers had been ensnared. Gaara takes a few deep breaths, going over everything as he had worked it out over the last two days. 

Lee turns in a slow circle, his aura now forest green, shocking the plants below and along him into vibrant, locomotive things. He meanders closer to where the moon bees dance and cluster. Gaara waits until Lee turns fully to face him again. 

"I have something for you," he repeats, "Come over here."

"Gaara," Lee says, and his voice is much quieter than normal, "This is so beautiful! I did not know there was a place so close to our campus." He makes his way back to Gaara's side, eyes shining brilliantly in the moonlight. 

"I come here to study sometimes. And to get away," Gaara says, "If you're ready... Stand behind me."

He puts a short bit of distance between them, not sure how his power will react with Lee's. In his mind he readies the spell. He gathers as much of his aura towards his fingers and toes as he can. He's done this on a much smaller scale, as an experiment, but tonight will be different. 

Taking a deep breath, he begins a chant. It's not actually a spell, just a child's poem his mother used to say to him. It's the only thing he can think of that holds enough weight to use as a chant. He stretches his arms in front of him, lengthening his fingers and toes as much as he can.

Before him, his aura gathers into shining golden orbs. Two sets of ten, just bigger than tennis balls. At night is the only time Gaara's aura really shines like this, usually the muted yellow of desert sands. It's a bit much, the amount of magick he's pouring out of himself. He can already feel the strain in his muscles, little black spots of forming behind his eyes.

Lee gasps behind him, and Gaara can just imagine his awed face. Despite the strain, he smiles. He breathes out, and the orbs flutter upwards and away from him. Quick as a strike of lightning, they fly back down, bouncing and splitting into twos and fours, touching blades of grass and setting them alight. 

Flowers of all shapes and sizes bloom- mini magnolia trees sprout up and sigh their first pink blossoms. Long tangles of bougainvillea climb their trunks, jumping across branches to interlace with one another. Edelweiss and daisies pop their blooms below the brambles, cut across in color by the deep red of richness roses. Sunflowers raise their heads as if unable to differentiate which celestial body is located in the sky at that very moment. 

It continues on like that, his magick bouncing out and creating new sprouts of every bloom imaginable, until the whole field is a flowery walkway, drenched in a rainbow of color. Finally, at the far end of the field, the last tulip sprouts, and Gaara's magick disperses. It lays daintily like pollen over the already bloomed flowers, not visually unlike fairy dust. 

Gaara takes a deep breath. As he turns he stumbles, the dark spots going wider around his vision. He feels slightly nauseous. 

"Gaara! Are you okay?" Lee scrambled towards him, wrapping him up in his arms.

"I'm- I'm fine," Gaara replies, not wasting the opportunity to lean against Lee. His body has sinfully little give, yet somehow he's softer than any plush Gaara used to own. 

"I was told that when you want to tell someone how you feel, you bring them flowers. I was unsure about what kind you might like," Gaara says, all cheek. 

"You did this for- for _me,"_ Lee gasps. Gaara nods in his embrace, his forehead resting on a taught shoulder. The arms around him squeeze, "Thank you, Gaara."

Lee's energy is unwittingly spilling into him, shifting and lighting to an olive green, to a neon, and then finally settling at Gaara accidentally claims it. He pulls them apart, slightly guilty about it, knowing that Lee can't feel it. For the last time of the evening, he takes a deep breath and steels his nerves. 

"I-I also heard that you bring flowers to someone who you want to... When you want to-..."

"I am not being completely fair," Lee says, interrupting him, and Gaara can't feel anticipation wrap like a desert adder around his heart. "I could have sent you a message or come to see you. I just... I was convinced it was too good to be true."

"It _is._ It is true," Gaara insists. 

"I see that," Lee smiles and it's a light of hope, of relief and desire in Gaara's chest. "And I think you're all those things, too. Cute, wicked smart, kind. So... Gaara, would you please go out with me?"

"We're out right now," Gaara replies, feeling giddy, "But we can do this again. I'd love to-"

"I _mean,"_ Lee takes a deep breath, and Gaara realizes he's not the only one who's nervous, "Will you be my boyfriend?"

Gaara flushes. Right from his crown, he can feel the heat wash over him like he just stepped into the dorm's scalding washroom waters. He hiccups, his excitement manifesting itself in the most embarrassing manner. 

"I- No one's ever asked me that before," he replies. Lee's smile is sweet, his blush sweeter. 

"Can I take that as a yes?"

"Definitely. Yes. Absolutely yes," Gaara says, and feels dizzy, "I might need to sit down."

"Oh! I am so sorry," Lee says, leading Gaara to a nearby magnolia. He sits down and pulls Gaara into his lap. It's a strange play of affection that Gaara really likes. It's nice out, but Lee is so warm, it's like covering himself with a weighted blanket. 

"Shall we go for a walk after you're feeling better?" Lee asked softly, holding Gaara against his chest. The slighter man simply nods, trying not to betray how enamored he is. Perhaps he really was bewitched.


End file.
